It is known in the art of air conditioners of the need to cause circulation of the ambient air through two heat exchangers which form respectively the condenser and the evaporator of the refrigerating cycle.
It is also known that the condenser and the evaporator must be placed in communication with each another by means of shut-off valves and devices, such as for example thermostatic valves or capillaries designed to cause rapid expansion of the cooling fluid when the latter passes from one component to another.
The valves and expansion means are normally arranged inside the conditioner if the latter is of the conventional type with a single body; If the conditioner is of the type with a separate evaporator to be positioned inside the room, the valve is positioned outside and the expansion means inside the conditioner itself.
More particularly, expansion may be performed upstream of the shut-off valve, i.e. in the condenser, or downstream of the shut-off valve, i.e. in the evaporator.
Since the dimensioning of the means for expansion of the cooling fluid depends on the efficiency of the conditioner in relation to the different external temperatures, the technical problem which is posed is that of providing an expansion element which is accessible externally and easily interchangeable. The latter should be designed in accordance with the variation in the said external temperatures at which the air conditioner is used and the length of the pipes thereof, without the need for complex welding operations.